Jenny Hanlon shares why it took a skin cancer diagnosis for her to get smart about sun protection.

Five years ago, shortly after I turned 40, I developed a strange bump on my lower lip. It got worse, then seemed to improve, then got bad again. I was busy with my finance job and with my daughter, Lexi, who was 4 at the time, so it took me six months to have it looked at. Although my dermatologist said it wasn't a cold sore and even speculated that the growth might be precancerous, she didn't want to biopsy it because cutting into my lip could leave me with an ugly scar. So we agreed she would freeze off the sore, which would cause the least damage. It healed nicely.

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Two years later, however, it was back. Really worried, I went to a new, top-ranked dermatologist, also pointing out a rough red spot near my nose and a flaky patch on my cheek. He did a skillful job on the biopsies and they didn't look bad after healing, but he called a week later to say that all three were cancerous: basal cell carcinoma for the lip and the rough red bump, an early squamous cell carcinoma for the flaky patch.

The best treatment for facial skin cancer is Mohs surgery, which has the highest cure rate and leaves the least scarring. The doctor removes the visible tumor and a thin bit of surrounding skin, then checks the sample microscopically for cancer cells. If any are found in the surrounding tissue, another layer of skin is removed, and so on, until no more cancer cells can be detected.

My first surgery was for the rough red bump; I was called back only once. After that healed, I had the second surgery, on the flaky patch, and I was called back twice. I was then feeling more confident about my lip. Sitting in a waiting room full of patients, I was the first to be called; hours later, I was the only one still there. I had to go in four times, and after the last one, I started crying, not sure how much of my lip was left.

I went straight from the Mohs specialist to a surgeon my dermatologist had recommended to reconstruct my lip. We had met previously and discussed some options, but that afternoon he just asked how many times I had been called back. I said four, and next thing I knew, I was under anesthesia. Later, as I was leaving, he said, "If it doesn't match, I'll fix it."

I had no idea what he meant, but when I got home, I realized I had a bandage on my chest as well as one on my face. The doctor had taken skin from my chest and grafted it onto my lip, an option we'd never discussed. Even after healing, my lip was grotesque—a thick lump with pale, freckled flesh sewn onto it. I looked like a patchwork quilt.

I covered it with a bandage for three months. Finally, a plastic surgeon trimmed the graft down and then, in a second surgery, basically created a new bottom lip by rolling skin from the inside out. Now I have a smile that's back to maybe 90% of what it once was.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the dermatologist with another red rough spot, and he told me that even if I never get any more sun exposure, I'll be dealing with the damage that's already been done for a very long time. But at least I can avoid adding to the problem—now, finally, I'm really careful about sun protection. On ordinary mornings when I'm going to work, I slather an SPF 30 moisturizer, topped with an SPF 25 powder, on my face, neck, and chest. I use SPF 50 or 75 at my daughter's soccer games, and I also wear a visor. At the beach, I wear shorts and a top, sit under an umbrella, and set my iPhone to remind me to reapply sunblock every 90 minutes.

Want to stay protected from the sun? Here's the latest news about sunscreen.

Important New Sunscreen Information

The FDA has finally issued new rules for sunscreen labels, banning unclear or misleading claims. The new terms have specific definitions.

- "Broad Spectrum" means the product protects you against both UVA and UVB rays. Both are linked to cancer, and UVA also causes wrinkles.